Twilight
by PrincessMelissa83
Summary: A late star filled night, a serene and quiet lake, a moonlit path, the person you love holding your hand. What more could one person wish for? A sugar filled UsaMamo one shot created for Summer Stars minific contest.


_Twilight_

Alone with him was all she ever wanted to be, but other things had taken up their time together lately. He concentrated on finishing his last year of college, she concentrated on finishing her first…well, concentrated as much as _she_ could. Other time was spent keeping up with her friends who had gone on with their own amazing lives. It wasn't that they weren't used to not spending time together, her and the girls and her and Mamoru. Or one should say, normal time together. Their past was littered with things that had kept them apart. They had had so many trials to overcome just to get to where they were and a small respite was well deserved, or so she decided.

Her parents had decided this too. With some free time coming up, a short holiday break from school and much deserved vacation time on her father's part, the Tsukinos had managed to rent a two bedroom cabin in a secluded mountain park. The place was dusty and she had to share a bedroom with the two brats, Shingo and Chibi-Usa (who weren't so much brats anymore, but she still referred to them that way), but all in all it was a cozy retreat and Usagi was more than happy to be there.

The clock on the bedside table clicked to 10:30 and she rolled over, careful not to dislodge the sleeping pink haired preteen sharing her bed as she put the covers back and slid her feet to the floor. Managing to stand next to the bed without having disturbed her bed partner, she turned and tucked the younger girl securely in, making sure the blanket was snugly up to her chin to ward off any chilled air. A second more for thought and she moved her pillow to cradle the other girl's back in case she rolled over. Having decided her daughter was safe and comfortable enough, she tried to quietly creep across the floor to the clothes she just happened to have left out earlier that evening.

_Squeak_

She stopped, dead still in mid step, her body going rigid at the seemingly echoed sound After a second she realized she'd been holding her breath and exhaled slowly, looking to the roll away cot by the window to see that her brother still slept soundly. He did. Next her eyes went to Chibi-Usa's curled form. Allowing herself a moment to calm her racing heart, she moved forward once more, managing to avoid any other loose boards, grab her close and retreat to the bathroom.

She changed quickly, piling her pajamas on the vanity and donning a light blue, spaghetti strap sundress that fell to just above her knees. A darker blue sweater was pulled over that and she managed to pull her hair into a semi bun, held insecurely in place by the three pins she was able to find in the dark. Now, shoes in hand, she crept out the front door and stood on the front porch, reveling for a moment the tranquil serenity of the forest around her before slipping the shoes on her feet.

Mamoru, it had been discovered earlier that day, had rented a cabin of his own when he heard of the Tsukino's plans. He too wanted time to spend with Usagi where they weren't both worrying about their school or him about his job or surrounded by the babbling girls that waltzed in and out of his life daily with questions about when he would truly propose to Usagi and just how long did they plan to wait. He'd come over that morning for a short visit and told her where his tiny three room cabin was located. It wasn't far from theirs and there was a well worn path that lead directly to his door. Impossible to miss, even for Usagi, he had said.

While she wasn't sure how to _take_ that comment, Usagi _did_ know that she was going to put that path to good use and immediately started through the grass and leaves in its direction. Her own path was well lit by the light of a full moon and sky filled with bright and twinkling stars. Fireflies blinked in little clusters along the way and even the nightly sounds that would normally have her cowering back to her bed didn't frighten her half as much. Her footsteps were sure though she kept her head down to keep from stumbling over an upraised root or twig or anything else that may lay in her way.

It was level terrain, much to her joy, and it didn't wind her quite as much as she had suspected it would to travel the distance to his cabin and she went slowly, enjoying the cleanness of the mountain air and the freshness of the summer around her. When she was still a distance away she saw a light shining towards her in the break from the trees and knew it had to be her destination. Indeed, as she got closer she could see that it was the lamplight of his bedroom. Mamoru was still awake despite the lateness of the night.

_Probably reading one of his text books. He studies way to much and stresses way more than he should. He's smarter than those other guys in his class, I don't know why he feels he has to work so hard. He could do this with his eyes closed._ She smiled dreamily. That was just how her Mamo-chan was, a perfectionist to the very end. He didn't just want to be good, he wanted to be the best.

She peeked in the bedroom window and saw him lying on the bed, propped up against the headboard and a book in his hands. _I knew it…_ Her knock on the door must have startled him because it took him several minutes to get from the bedroom to the front door when it wasn't all that much of a distance. When he opened the door, surprised and confused, she giggled under her breath. His hair was a mess and he was wearing a pair of gray jogging pants that just barely clung to his hips. Both of them blushed.

"Usako? Is everything alright? What are you doing here?"

She smiled sweetly. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to go for a walk. Come out with me." She looked up at him with hopeful little smile and large blue eyes, using every bit of charm that she had to lure him out.

Any argument died in his throat and he laughed, nodding before going back in to grab a shirt. She stood in the doorway until he came back out, pulling a black tee shirt on. She grabbed his hand and tugged him out, instantly taking the path to the lake. He followed close behind on the way there and when they arrived, she stopped, looking at the way the stars and full moon reflected in the slightly rippling waters. His arms came around her from behind and he pulled her back against him. She sighed and leaned back against him, turning her head and reaching up just a bit to kiss his chin, which was as far as she could reach in their current position. He chuckled and lowered his head, closing the distance between them and lightly brushed his lips against hers. When the gentle caress of his mouth on hers stopped she sighed in protest then pulled away, slipping her shoes off and carried them in her hand as she put her feet in the water. It was cool, having lost the warmth the sun gave it during the day, but it wasn't too cold as to be uncomfortable.

Turning she beckoned him forwards and, while he was stooped down to slip his own shoes off and roll up the legs of his pants, she leaned over and hit the water, lightly sprinkling him with water. He looked up at her to see her trying not to laugh out loud and raised his brow in a bit of a challenge. When he took two menacing steps towards her, Usagi giggled and backed away watching as he bent down and cupped some water in his hand, splashing it towards her so that she wouldn't really get wet, but just be sprinkled. For every step back she made, he took one towards her. She laughed and tried to splashed at him again before turning and running. He was right behind her and grabbed her around the waist while she yelped, still laughing, struggling, but not really trying to get away. By this time her hair had fallen from the pins that had held it in a loose bun and fell in a cascade of golden waves down her back, the very edges of it floating in the water as she turned in his arms, wrapping her own around his shoulders and looking into his dark blue eyes which reflected the stars in the sky above them.

She wanted it to be like this forever. She wanted them to always be able to enjoy each others company in the same love struck way they were that night - in a way that they didn't have to speak and they didn't have to be anything more than what they really were, a boy and a girl who loved each other more deeply than anyone or anything could ever possibly dream. Without him in her life, she would have been incomplete and forever waiting for more, but never knowing what it was she waited for. He was half of her soul, half of her heart, and without him she would have been nothing. She was the light in his world when he had been surrounded by darkness. She had given him something he had not thought to have, a family. He admired her for her generosity and her acceptance of others, her willingness to help those in need even if she had to give up something she loved to do it. She was exactly what a queen would need to be whether she knew it or not. And yet she still needed him. To him, that was one of the most special things about their relationship, to be needed.

He ran his fingers through her golden tresses and kissed her forehead lightly before supporting her so she could slip her shoes on once more and then leading her back to dry land towards the path that would take them by her family's cabin. Their late night rendezvous had been fun, but it was getting late and both needed their rest.

She twisted her hair and wrapped it over her shoulder, the pins lost in the lake, so that it would not drag the ground as they walked. Her hand found its way into his and he gave hers a gentle squeeze before smiling down at her. She loved his smile and she had come to realize that he had several different ones. There was the one that he used just for her, the gentle tug of his lips that made his eyes light up, showing her that he was happy and grateful to be by her side - though most likely not so happy and grateful as she was to be by his - and which caused her heart to melt at its sight. Then there was the smiles that he gave to her friends and Chibi-Usa. A loving, tender smile for their daughter and one of gentle earnest for their friends, but none were quite so beautiful as the one he kept only for her.

She returned the gesture and lay her head over on his shoulder as they walked, coming to the small wood bridge that stepped over a small stream. If one was to follow the stream, it would curve around through the trees and empty out into the lake from another water source up in the mountains. The bridge itself was old, the wood darkened with age and water damage, but still sturdy for them to cross. There were no rails because the stream was not deep enough to be a problem if you chose to jump across it instead.

A sigh passed her lips and she turned her eyes up to the dark blue sky, gasping when she saw the silver tail of a shooting star. She stood straighter and tugged at Mamoru's arm, pointing to the sky as she came to a stop in the center of the stepping bridge. "Mamo-chan, we have to make a wish!" She exclaimed in a breathy whisper and then closed her eyes, concentrating on what her wish would be.

She felt his hand cup her cheek and then the light brush of his breath against her mouth just before his lips captured hers and he pulled her to him, hugging her close even as he broke their kiss. With his mouth right at her ear, he whispered gently, "I already have everything I could wish for."

Fin


End file.
